The Battle of Bannockburn Trivia Quiz

Answer: 23 and 24 June 1314

The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 on 14 October. The Battle of Agincourt took place in 1415 on 25 October. The Battle of Naseby in 1645 on 14 June. Of course, all of these incorrect answers were one-day battles, but hopefully you got the correct answer. Bannockburn was an unusual battle in medieval warfare, as most of those battles did not take very long.

Answer: a stream

"Burn" is the Scottish term for anything from a stream to a large river. The term is also used in northern England, Ulster, Australia, and New Zealand. The Bannock is a winding burn that enters the River Forth about 7.5 miles from its source, but because of its meandering, its length would be measured longer.

Answer: Robert the Bruce

Robert I ruled as King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329, when he died at age 54. He had 11 children, six of whom were acknowledged to be illegitimate by unknown mothers. His first born was Marjory, daughter of Isabella of Mar. Her son was Robert II, who ruled as King of Scotland from 1371 to 1390. He was the first Stewart monarch.

Robert then had four children by Elizabeth de Burgh: Margaret, Matilda (Maud), and twin sons, David and John. David succeeded his father as king and ruled from 1329 to 1371. Two of Robert's illegitimate sons died in battle. Sir Robert Bruce died at the Battle of Dupplin Moor in 1332 and Sir Neil of Carrick died at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346.

Answer: Edward II

Edward was the fourth son of Edward I, known as "Longshanks" and "Hammer of the Scots." Edward II accompanied his father on the campaigns to subdue the Scots from 1300 to Longshanks' death in 1307. Edward II then ruled England for the next 20 years until January of 1327, when powerful English barons and clergy forced him to abdicate to his son, Edward III. Edward II then became just Edward of Caernarvon.

In September of 1327 Edward died under unclear circumstances.

Answer: Stirling Castle

The first record of Stirling Castle, perched high atop steep-sided Castle Hill, is from around 1110. The castle became a royal burgh under King David I. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including the one by Robert the Bruce which resulted in the Battle of Bannockburn.

Caernarfon Castle is in Wales, Carrickfergus Castle is in Ireland, and Windsor Castle is in England in the county of Berkshire.

Answer: The King drove his axe through Henry's helmet and into his skull.

As Sir Henry's lancepoint reached the King, the monarch maneuvered his horse to the side and then, standing in his stirrups, rose and brought the axe down on Sir Henry's head, cleaving through the English helm, splitting it and the knight's skull in two. Seeing the outcome of the duel, the Scots then surged forth, forcing the English cavalry to retreat.

Had Sir Henry been successful in killing or capturing the Scots monarch, he would have become a hero, perhaps winning the day. As for the King, it is reported that he merely expressed regret at having broken the shaft of his favorite axe.

Answer: Schiltron

Most often a defensive formation, the Scottish schiltron was used to great offensive effect by both Wallace and Robert in their two victorious battles against the English. Similar effective formations included the Greek phalanx and the Saxon/Viking shield wall of earlier times.

A trebuchet is a siege weapon similar to a catapult, while a caltrop is an antipersonnel or anti-cavalry device made up of two or more sharp nails or spines designed so that one point always points upward. The testudo (turtle) was a Roman formation whereby infantrymen protected their heads and sides by linking their shields together.

Answer: Giles d'Argentan

Riding on either side of King Edward along with the Earl of Pembroke, d'Argentan escorted the monarch to safety. Then, saying that he had "never yet fled from a battle, nor will I now," he returned to the fighting and to his death. The only other two knights who were equals of d'Argentan in battle were said to be the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and Robert the Bruce himself.
All of the incorrect answers were Scottish vassals fighting against the English.

Answer: A decisive Scots victory over a larger English force

A Scottish common army of about 6,000, along with 500 knights on horseback, defeated an English force of 14,000 infantry, 2,000 archers, and 2,00 heavy cavalry, although Wikipedia credits the English with a total force of from 13,000 to 25,000. English losses were calculated at 700 cavalry and four to eleven thousand infantry. Total Scottish losses were less than 4,000 and included only two knights killed.

Fourteen years later, due to Robert the Bruce's victory at Bannockburn, Scotland's independence from England was established by the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328.

Answer: Flower of Scotland

Following the first line of the chorus shown above is the line, "Proud Edward's Army." Roy Williamson wrote the words and music to "Flower of Scotland" in 1965.

At both the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, Team Scotland used "Flower of Scotland" as a victory anthem. The song was also sung by 53 Scottish school children from across the nation at Edinburgh Castle during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.